Saturday, December 08, 2012

Burgers At The Woolpack

The burger quest also took us to The Woolpack. Quintessential British pub grub done superbly. We earlier checked out its little stall at Maltby Street, fell in love and decided to head to their main pub on Bermondsey Street. Burgers at Maltby Street cost £5, and at the store, £10 with excellent chirpy service. We've so few joints at home that do a good burger with tasty bread, so the man went a little nuts over burgers this trip.

At The Woolpack, I skipped the rabbit, bacon and onion pie. The shallot, spinach and mature cheddar pie ordered for sharing was awesomely savory. Yummy. I was really pleased with my ale-battered haddock and twice cooked chips, the mushy peas, not so much. It was quite hilarious that I had a tiny squeeze bottle of chilli sauce in my bag. A complete surprise. I forgot it was even in there! Hahahah. Perfect. This would be my first fish and chips eaten outside the home on this trip. I dislike eating fish and chips at restaurants or bars in London because they don't serve chilli sauce along with it. Some might provide mayonnaise, but it isn't a substitute for the amazing tartare sauce that not every eatery offers.

For many reasons, we're not taken with the much raved about burgers at Bar Boulud. (Turn off your speakers when you load the site. Friggin annoying music. By the way, their burgers don't come served with fries anymore.) We gave it one more try on this trip, and are still unimpressed. The man doesn't particularly like the burgers at our DB Bistro Moderne either. We wanted to check out other places that are less...contrived, more homegrown, offering equally decent options in a gourmet style. Glad we found The Woolpack. The chefs really know their meats and how they would interact with the grill and sauces. The friends went to town with toppings on the beef patties. There were two options of burgers- braised ox-tail on beef and pulled pork on beef. Wah lau. Super overdose of meat. I guess they didn't care. Ha. Apparently not overly-salty with lots of onions and whatnots, each version was divine. There was crème fraîche in there too. NOT mayonnaise. Crème fraîche! What a grand idea! They couldn't stop salivating over it. The toasted brioche used for the burgers was champs. Ate two burgers each they did. Gulp.

Notion

" Silence spread around Tiffany, a living silence, while the sheep danced with their lambs and the world turned.
Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.
The words ran through Tiffany’s mind as she watched the sheep, and she found herself filling up with joy — at the new lambs, at life, at everything. Joy is to fun what the deep sea is to a puddle. It’s a feeling inside that can hardly be contained. " ~ A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett